In the beginning of chapter 15, we find Kraker inside his tent for days, staying away from high winds. To make tie go quicker he chain-smoked. He finally goes outside to start a fire, and the tent he had bent lent reluctantly by his father caught fire. This leads into the explanation of his relationship with his father. Kraker’s father had very high expectations for his children. He always wanted them to succeed in everything they did. His father was extremely ambitious and Kraker had always thought that his father was perfect, until he got sick with polio. After becoming sick, his father started injecting himself with medicine. He started to go crazy. This destroyed Kraker’s idea that his father was perfect. After looking back at all the trouble he gave his father, he felt bad. He realized that his father was just trying to help him, but in return, he was being very mean. After this explanation, he goes out to climb devils thumb again. This time, he uses a path he had decided previously was viable, and was able to make it to the top. In chapter 18, we discover more about how Chris died and how he felt when he died and before he died. Before he dies, he writes in a book, “Happiness is only real when shared.” This shows that he wanted to go out and share the happiness that he felt. He wanted to go back home and have a family. This is what he was planning to do when he was stopped by circumstances in nature. First, the river that he had to cross was way too high, and therefore he was just going to wait until he was able to cross, but then another circumstance arose. He started starving. He was so hungry that instead of just eating the wild potatoes, he also ate the seeds which did not allow him to take in the nutrients, and killed him through starvation. He pleaded for help, but didn’t come to any. In the end, he dies. During the epilogue, we read about Walt and Billie’s trip to Alaska and to the bus to see where Chris had died. They place in the bus a memorial, flowers, a suitcase with a first-aid kit, canned food, and other survival supplies, a Bible, and a note telling whoever to call their parents. They leave comforted knowing where Chris had been.
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